The present invention relates to treatment of a material utilizing magnetic fields. More particularly, the present invention relates to treating materials utilizing a pulsed magnetic field.
Recently, there has been a growing interest in using magnetic fields to alter the physical, chemical and mechanical properties of materials. For example, by applying a constant magnetic field, fundamental changes in the material substructure have been indicated. These changes can provide improved stress relief, improved room-temperature fatigue properties, as well as changes in fundamental diffusion behavior and thermal dynamic properties.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,873,605 describes an apparatus and method for treating ferromagnetic materials using pulsed magnetic fields. The apparatus includes a coil into which the material to be treated is inserted. A controlled source of electrical power generates a magnetic field on the interior of the coil for achieving a pulsed magnetic field. This magnetic field, depending on the number of cycles, the length of pauses between the cycles, and the amplitude or power of the magnetic field is used to treat material. The cycle length is usually about 15 seconds to 50 seconds.
Although techniques have been utilized for treating materials with pulsed magnetic fields, there is an ongoing need to further optimize this treatment to increase the speed and efficiency of the treatment.